If there’s one thing most Americans can agree on, it’s this: Costco is where it’s at. The wholesale giant has the loyalty of just about every bulk-shopping aficionado.
While its benefits are appreciated across the country, the Costco experience — whether it feels like Narnia for budget shopping or the second ring of hell — depends on your zip code. FinanceBuzz surveyed more than 6,000 Costco shoppers, asking them to rate their local warehouse to determine which state has the best stores in the country.
What Makes for a Great Costco?
Respondents were asked which of the 600+ Costco locations across 47 states they shop at most frequently and to rate that location on a 10-point scale across six metrics: cleanliness, friendliness, number of samples offered, stock levels, quality of samples, and parking.
The final rankings were presented in a detailed graph comparing overall satisfaction and category-specific performance by state. Here’s what the survey found for the top 10 performers:
Let’s Break It Down
Kansas — which has just three Costco locations as of 2026 — is the state where you’re most likely to have the best overall Costco experience. It earned the highest total score in the country, 52.6 out of 60, with especially strong marks for cleanliness (9.0), friendliness (9.3), and stock (9.2).
Right behind it is Kentucky, home to four warehouses, with a solid 8 in every category and an 8.4 for sample quantity among the top states. If you measure a Costco trip by how many toothpicks you collect, Kentucky makes a compelling case.
Also in the top five is Alabama, which posted the highest cleanliness score (9.2) of any top-10 state but had one of the weaker parking lot ratings (7.5). Great inside, not so great outside.
Arizona with 19 locations — one of the few large-footprint states in the top 10 — ranked last in the top 10 overall, with solid scores across the board but lowest rating for parking 7.3.
All in all, across nearly all top-ranking states, cleanliness and stock tend to score highest, while parking lot quality and sample quantity are more likely to drag.
The Top-Rated Individual Costco Stores
Here’s how the highest-rated individual warehouses stack up nationally, listed from No. 5 to No. 1 based on total score.
5. Tulsa, Oklahoma (North Tulsa, N. 118th Avenue E)
Total score: 54.7/60
The store in Tulsa earned one of the highest scores in the country for cleanliness — 9.6 — and a 9.2 for parking lot quality, the third-highest parking score nationwide and one of only five locations to hit a 9 or above in that category. For a warehouse chain where parking is often the weakest link, that sure says something.
4. Kalamazoo, Michigan
Total score: 54.9/60
Shoppers in Kalamazoo rate their store highly across the core categories: cleanliness (9.5), stock (9.4), and friendliness (9.3).
3. Springfield, Missouri
Total score: 55.1/60
Springfield takes the bronze nationally and is the highest-rated store in Missouri, a state that already ranks sixth overall. This location scored 9 or higher in five categories, with friendliness leading at 9.7 — one of the strongest staff scores recorded in the survey.
1 (Tie). Indianapolis (Fortune Park, Michigan Road)
Total score: 55.2/60
The warehouse in Indianapolis ties for the top score in the country with standout numbers for cleanliness (9.7), stock (9.7), friendliness (9.3) and sample quantity (9.1). Even its “lower” scores — sample quality (8.9) and parking (8.5) — remain strong by national standards.
1(Tie). Meridian, Idaho
Total score: 55.2/60
Sharing the top spot with Indianapolis, Meridian in Idaho ties for the highest overall score in the survey. It earned 9 or higher in five of six categories, missing that mark only in parking, where it scored an 8.0.
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